Pouring device



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POURING DEVICE Filed Jan. 2. 1931 3 Sheets-Sheet l 1 N VEN TOR.

A TTORNEYJ May 1, 1934.

M. W. GOLDBERG POURING DEVICE Filed Jan. 2, 1931 3 Sheets-Sheet 2 INVENTOR.

| h- ATTORNEYS.

WEM w IN VEN TOR.

M. W. GOLDBERG POURING DEVICE May 1, 1934.

Filed Jan. 2, 1931 3 Sheets-Sheet 3 ATTORNEYS.

Patented May 1, 1934 POURING DEVICE Max W. Goldberg, Port Washington, Wis., as-

signor to Modern Equipment Company, Port Washington, Wis., a corporation of Wisconsin Application January 2, 1931, Serial No. 506,044

2 Claims.

This invention relates to improvements in pouring devices, and more particularly to an electrically controlled automatic pouring device in which the ladle carrying mechanism is susceptible of swiveling movements, as well as of vertical adjustments.

It is one of the objects of the present invention to provide an improved pouring device for use in conveying and pouring molten metal in foundries, in which very simple and effective automatic means are provided for raising and lowering the ladle.

In an automatic pouring device, such as is covered by co-pending application Serial No. 390,058, wherein the ladle is carried by an adjustable screw, experience has proven that the weighted ladle imposes too much strain on the threads of the screw and on the complementary threads of the sleeve in which the screw operates, resulting in undue friction and strain.

It is, therefore, an object of the present invention to provide an automatic pouring device which will retain the desirable features of the apparatus covered by co-pending application Serial No. 390,058, but in which the objections are overcome by the provision of a rack bar for carrying and for raising and lowering the ladle, and by the provision of efiicient mechanism for transmitting power to said rack bar.

A further object of the invention is to provide in an automatic or electrically controlled pouring device, a novel combination of gears for the chicient transmission of power to a ladle carrying rack bar, which gear arrangement necessitates a minimum amount of power.

A further object of the invention is to provide an electrically controlled automatic pouring device having a novel clutch arrangement for automatically holding the rack bar and ladle in a predetermined position of adjustment.

A further object of the invention is to provide an automatic pouring device of the class described having means for automatically stopping the movement of the ladle holding rack bar when said bar has been either raised or lowered to a predetermined point.

A further object of the invention is to provide a swiveling electric pouring device which is of relatively simple construction, is easily and efficiently operated and controlled, is strong and durable, and is well adapted for the purposes described.

With the above and other objects in view, the invention consists of the improved swiveling electric pouring device, and its parts and combinations as set forth in the claims and all equivalents thereof.

In the accompanying drawings, in which the same reference characters indicate the same parts in all of the views:

Fig. 1 is a perspective View of the improved pouring device;

Fig. 2 is an enlarged front view thereof with parts broken away and parts shown in section;

Fig. 3 is a detail sectional View taken on line 3-3 of Fig. 2;

Fig. i is a detail sectional view taken on line 4-4 of Fig. 2; and

Fig. 5 is a detail sectional view taken on line 5-5 of Fig. 2.

Referring now more particularly to the drawings, it will appear that the numeral 10 indicates a supporting bar having a central bearing 11 and side bearings 12. The shank portions of bifurcated arms 13 are swivelingly mounted through said bearings 12. Each arm 13 has rotatably mounted between its bifurcated upper portions a wheel 14, said wheels being adapted to ride in a suitably supported overhead rail 15. Secured transversely to the supporting bar 10 is a trolley wheel bar 16 on which trolley members 17 are mounted and the wheel portions 18 of said trolley members engage conductor strips or plates 19.

The device proper includes a tubular member or sleeve 20 within which a ladle carrying rack bar 21 is longitudinally movably carried. The upper portion of said sleeve is swivelingly mounted within the central bearing 11 of the supporting bar 10, while said sleeve, immediately therebelow, carries suitably insulated contact rings 22 which are frictionally engaged by fixed contacts 22 to transfer electrical current from the trolley members 17 to the device proper without interfering with the swiveling thereof.

The lower end portion of the tubular member or sleeve 20 is threaded into a socket-like portion 23 extending upwardly, medially, from a hollow drum member 24, said drum being also formed with a guideway 24 extending therethrough for slidably receiving the rack bar 21. Disposed within said drum axially thereof is a central shaft 25 which has one end portion thereof 25 journaled in roller bearings 26 disposed in a cupped bearing 27 formed in an end 28 of said drum. The other end of the shaft 25 extends through bearing portions 29 in connection with the guideway 24 and terminates short of the opposite end of the drum.

An electric motor 30 which is suitably suppoited by a bracket 31 on the sleeve 20, has a drive shaft 32 depending therefrom. A shaft 33 which is journaled in an extension 34 of the drum 24 is connected by universal joints 35 with the shaft 32 of the motor. The shaft 33 carries a rigidly mounted worm 36 which engages a worm wheel 37 loosely mounted within the drum 24 on the shaft 25. Said worm wheel is formed around its hub with a plurality of slotted openings 38.

A clutch member 39 is keyed to the shaft 25 adjacent to the worm wheel. Said clutch member is formed with an externally threaded hub portion 40 which extends toward the worm wheel. A ratchet wheel 41 loosely surrounds said clutch member 39 and interposed between said ratchet wheel and the face of the clutch are fibre disks 42 and a metallic disk 43. Another disk 44 is positioned adjacent the outer face of the ratchet wheel.

A nut 45 is threaded on the hub portion 40 of the clutch member, and said nut is adapted to engage the ratchet wheel to cause a frictional engagement thereof with the fibre disks and clutch member so that the ratchet wheel will be locked to the clutch when it is so engaged by the nut. Lugs 46 project from the other side of the nut, and said lugs are received by slots 38 of the worm wheel. A pivoted dog 47 normally engages the teeth of the ratchet wheel 41, as shown in Fig. 5. It will thus be seen that when the worm wheel is turned in a clockwise direction (referring to Fig. 5), the edges or" the slots 38 will engage the lugs 46 to cause rotation of the nut 44 and the resulting locking of the ratchet Wheel to the clutch member. Thus the clutch and ratchet wheel will rotate as a single unit, with the dog 47 slipping over the teeth of the ratchet wheel. However, when the worm wheel is rotated in a counterclockwise direction (referring to Fig. 5), the dog will lock the ratchet wheel and the nut will be loosened somewhat to cause less pressure of the ratchet wheel against the clutch. The purpose of the above-described movements will be brought out in detail in connection with the operation of the device.

A gear 48 is positioned to engage the rack bar 21 to cause raising and lowering of the same upon rotation of the shaft 25. Said gear is rigidly mounted on a laterally extending hub portion or sleeve 49 to which a circular member 50 is keyed. Said member 50 has a pair of pins 51 extending laterally therefrom.

A pinion 52 which is mounted rigidly on the end of the shaft 25 meshes with gears 53 which are loosely mounted on the pins 51. Said gears 53 also mesh with a ring gear 54 which is formed on the interior of the drum, see Figs. 2 and 3.

The electric motor 30 is connected through control boxes 55 with the circular contact members 22, so that the electrical current which is transmitted from the trolleys to said circular contacts is in turn transmitted to the motor to drive the same. Limit switches 56 and 57 may be utilized in this circuit to eifect automatic stopping of the motor when the rack bar has been raised or lowered to a desired point. The electrical circuit and the automatic operation of the limit switches is identical to that fully shown and described in co-pending application Serial No. 390,058, and it will therefore not be described in detail in the present case.

In operation, the device may be moved along the overhead rails to a desired position adjacent the molds which are to be poured. The device is then swiveled within the bearing 11 to a desired angle. It is to be noted that this swiveling does not in any way interfere with the conducting of the current from the overhead trolley, due to the contact rings and associated parts. If it is desired to raise the rack bar to elevate the ladle, the electric motor is operated in a desired direction to cause clockwise movement of the worm gear 37. The rotating worm gear will then act through the lugs 46 to cause tightening of the nut 45 against the ratchet wheel and rotation of the ratchet wheel and clutch member as a unit, the dog 47 slipping over the ratchet wheel. Due to the fact that the clutch member 39 is keyed to the shaft 29, said shaft will rotate and through pinion 52 and gears 53, will cause rotation of the circular member 50. Inasmuch as the member 50 is keyed to the sleeve 49 of the gear 48, said gear will be rotated to cause raising of the rack bar. As soon as the motor has been stopped, the weight of the load will operate to maintain the nut 45 tightly against the ratchet wheel 41, so that said ratchet wheel is locked to the clutch. Thus, with the dog in position, there can be no counterclockwise movement to permit descent by gravity. When, however, it is desired to lower the rack bar, the motor 30 is operated in a reverse direction, causing counterclockwise rotation of the worm wheel 37. The ends of the slots 38 of the worm wheel will then disengage the lugs 46 of the nut to permit unthreading thereof to such an extent that the weight of the load is greater than the resistance of the brake embodied in the clutch mechanism. Thus the load will be lowered by gravity at a speed approximating the speed of the driving mechanism. When the ladle has been lowered to a desired point, the motor is again stopped, and the weight of the load will cause the nut 45 to be again threaded tightly against the ratchet wheel 41, so that further movement by gravity is prevented, due to the engagement of the dog with the ratchet wheel to prevent such movement.

From the above description, it will be seen that a very efficient device has been provided in which the ladle is supported by a rack bar and in which said rack bar is eifectively raised and lowered by novel automatic driving mechanism. It will further be noted that a unique clutch arrangement has been utilized to automatically hold the ladle in any position of adjustment against descent by gravity.

Although only one form of the invention has been shown and described, it is not desired to be limited to this exact showing, as the broad concept of the invention includes all changes and modifications as may fairly come within the scope of the claims.

What I claim is:

1. A metal pouring device comprising a portable frame, a vertically movable rack bar carried thereby and having means for holding a container, a sleeve joinnaled in said frame, a pinion mounted rigidly on said sleeve and engaging said rack bar, a shaft journaled in the frame and extending through said sleeve, a pinion rigidly mounted on said shaft, gear means between said second mentioned pinion and said sleeve, a worm wheel mounted on said shaft, a worm journaled in the frame and engaging said worm wheel, and an electric motor for rotating said worm to cause raising and lowering of said rack bar.

2. A metal pouring device comprising a portable frame, a vertically movable member carried thereby and having means for holding a container, controlling mechanism for said vertically movable member including a rotatable member, a disc clutch having a threaded hub portion rigidly mounted on said rotatable member, a ratchet wheel loosely mounted on said hub portion adjacent the clutch disc, a dog carried by the frame and normally engaging said ratchet wheel, a nut member threaded on said hub portion of the clutch and having a lug projecting therefrom, and a driven wheel loosely mounted on said rotatable member, said driven wheel when turned in one direction being engageable with the lug of the nut member to cause threading of the latter towards said ratchet wheel and clutch disc to frictionally en- 

